Last season, Syracuse football’s defensive line was led by three guys. Kingsley Jonathan, McKinley Williams, Josh Black, and Cody Roscoe. All three have exhausted their eligibility and the d-line room looks entirely different. This might be the most significant question mark on the entire roster. With new players entering the program, and youngsters stepping into the spotlight from the shadows, defensive coordinator Tony White has his work cut out for him to make this group work, and be equivalent to the rest of the defense, which looks to be very strong. The first three of the 3-3-5 scheme will be tested early and often this season.
Here are the top-six guys on a roster that will desperately need some underclassmen to step up in a big way.
Caleb Okechukwu
Okechukwu is the most experienced and got the most playing time of anyone on the team last season. The elder statesman as a redshirt junior, the 6’4 269 pound native of Washington, D.C., has played in every game the last two seasons for the Orange and produced a pair of sacks, and 35 total tackles in two years. He also recovered a fumble last season for SU and is likely to see the field plenty in 2022.
Terry Lockett
Lockett enters his second season of college football having played 11/12 games a season ago when he racked up 12 total tackles and 2 sacks. The Massachusetts native is likely to have a bigger role this season than last thanks to the departures already mentioned, and clearly earned the trust of his coaches as he played meaningful snaps as a freshman. Keep an eye on Lockett to be in the starting lineup in week one against Louisville.
Chase Simmons
Simmons was a big recruiting win for Syracuse a couple of cycles ago, as South Carolina has not been a place Dino Babers and his staff typically use as a hotbed for the Orange. Simmons did not get much time in 2021, but is expected to contribute this season after a strong spring, and has the pedigree of a three-star recruit in the class of 2021. Despite recording no statistics last season, Simmons could provide value in 2022 as a rotational piece with strong athletic traits.
Francois Nolton Jr.
Not often does a true freshman have a big impact for Syracuse. Duce Chestnut did a year ago, and look for Nolton to provide a similar spark on the defensive line. When he committed to the Orange and enrolled for the Spring, it was a massive recruiting win for Babers to score a guy who held offers from dozens of ACC and SEC schools down south. Babers has used Florida as a strong place to recruit, and Nolton Jr. comes from Miami. ESPN rated him as a four-star recruit, and that pedigree could come in handy when the Orange need a big stop on a third down and Nolton is rushing the passer on the edge.
Kevon Darton
Someone else with experience to watch on this unit who may not be known much to the public is Darton, who appeared in six games in 2020 and all 12 in 2021. He’s got 14 total tackles in two seasons but has three years of experience in the program, something not a lot of guys can say on this SU team, especially on the defensive line. Darton may not start, but has been effective on special teams, and especially with a new coordinator there, he can learn to become more effective on defense and special teams.
Elijah Fuentes-Cundiff
The last guy to watch is Fuentes-Cundiff, who has an extremely high pedigree coming from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx, New York, a place Babers has not recruited much but was a favorite of former Orange coach Doug Marrone when the Orange enjoyed success in the early 2010s. The redshirt freshman was highly rated as a recruit, where 247sports had him as a top-five player in New York State and three stars on Rivals as well. He played in two games in 2021, and only recorded two total tackles. He should have a bigger role in 2022.